Railroad-car seat



rrr stares Paras FFCE,

DANIEL H. VISWELL, OF BUFFALO, NEV YORK.

RAILROAD-CAR SEAT.

7o all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, DANIEL H. liswriLL, of Buffalo, in the county or Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Changeable Chair for Railroad-Cars and other Purposes, called lViswells Frotean Railroad-Chair, which is described as follows, reference being had to the annex-ed drawings of the same` making part of this specification.

Figure l, is a side elevation of the chair adjusted for a reclining position. Fig. Q, is a perspective view of ditto. Fig. 3, is a side elevation of the chair arranged for a sitting posture. lle, is aperspective view of ditto.

Similar letters refer to corresponding parts.

ylhe nature of my invention and improvement Consists in connect-ing the bottom A,

and back B of the chair by joints C C C to the head of upright posts or standards l), secured to the ioor of the car; and the arms E connecting said bottom and back being each divided at the middle of its length into two sections, which are connected at their `outer extremities to the bottom and back by joints el, and at their inner extremities by joints g to a double jointed sliding hinge G, moving over an inclined jointed rod H, so that as the slides G are depressed, the arms are made to approximate straight lines, and consequently to extend the outer extremities of the bottom and back from each other when it is required to adapt the back ot' the chair to a reclining posture; and when said slides are moved in an opposite direction or ob liquely upward over the inclined ways or rods H, the arms are bent at the joints and at the back of the chair made to form an obtuse or nearly a right angle with t-he bottom to adapt the chair to an easy sitting posture, at which position it is held firmly by a set screw S, whose point is made to penetrate slightly the inclined rod H, which stands at an angle of about forty-tive degrecs, with the seat when adjusted 'for a day chair. The arms are thus jointed at the middle, or elbow, for the purpose of changing the angle of inclination of the back, and the slides to which the double joints or elbows are connected are made to slide over the inclined jointed rods H, for the purpose of clamping them to the same to hold the back at any desired posit-ion either as a reclining oi' sitting chair and reversible by means of the joints C C C connected to the heads of the standards D for the purpose of changing the position of the chair to correspond with the `direction of the movements of the cars-the change being effected in a moment by simply moving or rocking the chair on its central bearing C, either to the right or to the left.

The seat is supported in its required position by upright props or pillars K secured to the floor ot the car in the spaces between thevseats and held down by spring dogs or catches M. These props or supports may be hinged to the back or bottom and let down to a vertical position to support it as a seat to be used instead of the permanent standards. The rods H, may be made with joints in them` so that the portion above the upper slides G may be folded out of the way.

This chair is not only admirably adapted for a day and night chair for railroad cars, steamboats and hotels, but also for the saloon of a surgeon and dentist, and others requiring the use of a changeable chair, at moderate expensewit being susceptible of an almost endless number of changes. rThe traveler while seated in this chair can in a moment convert it into a reclining back chair for reposing by simply unscrewing the set screws S, lowering the slides, and again screwing up the screws S, against the rod H, H and extending the rests for the feet and head whether the cars be going or returning on the track. yhe chair is turned on its central bearing or joint C to correspond with the change of position of the occupant by simply moving it, so as to bring the back down on the opposite side in the position for a seat, and the seat in an inclined position for the back, the former resting upon the heads of the pillars or props K which support the seat in a iirm position, whether the said props be attached to the Hoor of the car or to the back of the seat.

Although these chairs may be made of cast metal, yet I prefer to have them generally formed of wood or other materialsexcept the double joints and folding rods which should be made of iron and steel or brass or bronze or other more suitable material. The back and seat may be framed or secured permanently together, forming a right angle or nearly so, having the hinges on Which it turns attached to the angle of the chair and to the heads of the central posts or supports D. But this mode of construction Would not admit of its beiner converted into a reclining' chair.

Having' thus described my invention and improvement in day and night changeable seats for railroad cars and other purposes, by which, in a moment, the occupant can convert it into a sitting or reclining` chair, Whether the cars be going or returning, so that the traveler may repose as comfortably as in a bed; or sit as easy as in a parlor DANIEL H. WISVVELL.

lVitnesses WM. P. ELLIOT, ARTHUR C. IVATKINS. 

